Q We have an old refrigerator downstairs that my husband keeps full of beer and batteries. I'd like to free up the space and get rid of the refrigerator. I understand we could move the beer and other items to the refrigerator upstairs, but not the batteries. I say put them in a drawer. He says they last longer if they're kept cool. Is this true?

A Not really. But what's really important here is the money being wasted.

Refrigerators are energy hogs, old ones particularly so. Any money saved on longer-lasting batteries would be eaten up by the high cost of running the refrigerator. You can buy lots of batteries (and beer, too, for that matter) with the money saved by not operating an old refrigerator!

So move the beer upstairs, put the batteries in a drawer. Disable the refrigerator door and call your waste collector or local government for instructions on how to dispose of the old appliance.

If you really do need a second refrigerator (or decide to upgrade the main refrigerator to hold more beer), be smart and buy one that's stingy with energy. Look for the energy use sticker, or look for the Energy Star label and get the most efficient one possible.

Yellow jackets in bathroom Q We have a mystery in our lower-level bathroom. We've found dead yellow jackets on the windowsill and many in the toilet. Why are yellow jackets entering the bathroom to commit suicide by drowning in the toilet or giving up as soon as they touch the windowsill? The bathroom window itself is level with the ground, but I cannot find any opening through which the yellow jackets are entering.

A There probably is a nest inside the walls adjacent to the bathroom. It would only be visible by a small hole or opening on the outside of the home. If someone sprayed into the opening with a can of wasp and hornet insecticide, that would force them inside, entering through the light fixtures or wall plates. It would explain why many of them were dead, although there would be some live ones, too.

If no insecticide was sprayed, then there's no good explanation for what is going on. It would take further investigation.

Jeff Hahn, entomologist, University of Minnesota Extension

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